about us

Before departure

If you know us at all, you probably aren’t too surprised by this latest chapter in our nomadic lives.  Does it seem like we’ve been talking about working and volunteering overseas since we took the training wheels off our bikes?  It does to us.  Simply put, we’ve always loved experiencing new cultures, learning from others and celebrating the strength and passion of individuals and communities. We obviously hope to share our skills, but learning new ones and experiencing new perspectives is just as important to us. Volunteering with CUSO-VSO continues our love affair with the world around us.

Originally, our CUSO-VSO placements saw us spending two years in Maroua, Cameroon – in the Extreme North province.  The organizations we were set to work with assist people in rural communities living with HIV-AIDS to enjoy a better quality of life thanks to access to treatment, and other support services.

In the beginning, Caroline was partnered with the Réseau des Animateurs pour l’Education des Communauté (RESAEC) as an Organizational Development Advisor, working alongside the staff in implementing strategic action plans and HIV-AIDS programs.

Greg was to share his skills with three organizations: GIC Avenir Femme (GICAF), Réseau des Animateurs pour l’Education des Communauté (RESAEC), Water Energy and Sanitation for Development (WESDE).  He was to support these organizations in the development of tools and systems for monitoring and evaluation of their HIV-AIDS programs.

But this is Cameroon.  THINGS CHANGE!

circa the midway point

As of August 2010, we were transferred to Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital.  Not only did our placements change, but so did our focus areas.  Since then, Caroline has been working as a Policy Development and Livelihoods Advisor for both VSO Cameroon as well as the Africa Model Forest Network (AMFN).  Greg remains in his Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor post, but now assisting VSO Cameroon in its country-wide M&E efforts.  Greg will also assist the AMFN in their M&E as well as communication programs.

From here, we continue to forge ahead with our volunteer placements… around the country, online and from beneath the mosquito net!

Just a reminder… the crazy ideas, opinions, tall tales and malaria-induced ramblings  from beneath the mosquito net are all of our own creation and do not reflect the views or opinions of CUSO-VSO, VSO International or any other innocent beings inadvertently trampled in this creative process.